Hello everybody and welcome! I know I'm going to disappoint all those Tomb Raider fans that put me on their alerts but no, this is not a Tomb Raider story! Lately I've been utterly enchanted by the fascinating world of Ratchet and Clank and I cannot get the beauty of their adventures out of my mind! Also Ratchet is JUST-AWESOME-ENOUGH-SAID!

To be frank, I have my doubts about this story! I didn't intend to post any R&C stories as I've only been a fan of the franchise for 4 months and I still don't feel like I have mastered Ratchet's or Clank's or anyone else's personality! BUT one fateful day I woke up at 6am and while trying to get back to sleep, images came to my mind without even my thinking! I wasn't trying to think or imagine anything, the images just came there playing before my eyes! And after that, all they did was linger in my imagination and challenge me to write about them! The images I saw will be described in this very oneshot as coherently as I can! This is my first R&C fanfic so please forgive me for any signs of OOCness! Also I have to inform you that I'm officially unable to write about non-dramatic themes so there will be tons of drama here and no comedy at all! Also I suck at dialogues and that's why there's barely any dialogue in here! Okay enough with my rumbling, let's just go on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story. All rights belong to Insomniac Games.

Song of huge inspiration: Transformation, by David Travis Edwards (also not mine. I suggest listening to it while reading the part after the flashback).

~ The Day the Trust Became Thorns ~

A stream of thoughts saddened the young Lombax. It was unconceivable how a trust that had been built through strife was now crumbling like pieces of shattered glass. Still, by looking at the face of the General from the photograph that the pocket watch contained, which once belonged to Alister Azimuth, Ratchet could not feel hate towards him. Not even after what he had learned. Back at the time when they were searching for the Great Clock, he had understood Alister's reasons behind his actions. He had understood the General had been haunted by a mistake that had changed the Fate of their kind. It was a heavy burden. All he needed was redemption. None would have done better. Yet Ratchet couldn't help but wonder how the only person he could look up to had managed to reach the edge of insanity and do what he was just informed that he had done…

The clouds were thick and held rejuvenating colours of violet, crimson and orange. The next day was dawning but it had not begun yet. It felt as if time was standing still, allowing Ratchet to comprehend things a little better before his duties as an intergalactic hero were thrown at him once again. The cold wind blew against his golden fur and the high altitude of the spot he had chosen brought about a scene of desolation and serenity, offering him time and space to collect his thoughts.

Staring at the picture of his father, Kaden, and the only Lombax he had ever met before he was left as the last of his kind again, Alister, Ratchet sighed. Still the bitterness lingered in his heart. Gone were the days when he was carefree. He had grown up now. At that very moment when he decided not to join his race when it was only a mere step away from him, he had become a true hero. And being a true hero hurt, he had once been told. Not by Qwark of course.

Shutting his eyes, he recalled what had happened an hour ago. The reason of his current distress coming vividly into his mind, making him slightly shiver. It all came right before him and he felt as if he was re-living everything. His grip on the pocket watch tightened but without forcing it to close.

TTTTTT ~~~ TTTTTT

~ Flashback ~

"It happened again. The same thing exactly" Ratchet informed while trying to hide his concern. However, his anxiety made him pace into the room while Clank kept listening to him in the middle of the night. He too was worried. It's been two months since it first happened. Ratchet had a dream about the battle against General Azimuth that took place inside the Orvus Chamber many months ago and always woke up because of an excruciating pain in his chest. Ratchet claimed that first he felt as if he had been electrocuted, then he felt unable to breathe and afterwards he felt as if he was falling endlessly into a void, a suffocating abyss. Then he would wake up as he would feel like there was no air for him to breathe.

Ratchet was never the panicky type but he had been suffering from those nightmares and their side-effects for too long to ignore. At first, he just thought it was due to not allowing himself to catch a break. It wasn't possible though as after the Great Clock incident it felt like the universe had aquired self-destructive tendencies. There was not a day when at least one planet didn't require rescuing. Of course, he never bothered to care. Having Clank back was all that mattered and he couldn't really complain. But the incident kept repeating itself over and over again and as the weeks went by, they were more frequent as well. And lately, Ratchet would also witness himself get killed by Alister. He would be witnessing Alister's attempt to strike him from afar, like it had actually happened. Only that in his dreams Clank never managed to save him, like the way things had in reality transpired.

"It has been the third time this week" Clank murmured, talking more to himself rather than his best friend. He seemed troubled of course. But there were other reasons behind his sorrowful look. Reasons that Ratchet was not aware of. There were times when he would be reminded of the horrifying moment of watching his pal getting killed right before his eyes. This violent memory agitated his entire circuitry. But he had kept all this a secret. How could he disclose such thing? He felt he had no right to break the bond between the two Lombaxes. From everything the robot had observed, he had concluded that Alister assumed the role of Ratchet's mentor. He had become the closest thing to a father Ratchet ever had. And he was Kaden's best friend. Ratchet's world would crumble if he ever found out the truth. Ignorance is bliss.

Despite his silent protests though, Clank knew that sooner or later he would have to chase away his friend's bliss. The Zoni had come to inform him. Plenty of times did they reveal themselves, warning him that manipulating time couldn't be without a price to pay. Clank had reached the point of neglecting his own father's instructions. Time is not to be tampered with. And using it to prevent something that has already transpired from happening could only bring about a serious aftermath. Such strange laws the universe is governed by. His invisible guardians had told him that if Ratchet remained under the shadow of ignorance forever, his nightmares would never cease. After all, ignorance never saved anyone and the bliss it brought always turned out to be a death sentence in disguise. The intelligent creatures knew the cure but the two heroes would have to travel to the centre of the universe in order for Ratchet to receive it.

"I know. I really hate worrying you pal, but I've been having these nightmares for way too long and you're good at... you know, coming up with something that works" Ratchet looked at his long time friend with emerald eyes reflecting a bit of guilt. He had regretted mentioning this to Clank but letting him know was the first thing that came to his mind. He hadn't reported a lot of past incidents but this one was obviously not one of them. Clank seemed absorbed in his own thoughts but after a few seconds, he broke the silence.

"There is something you should know, Ratchet. About General Azimuth."
Ratchet had never seen his friend so serious and anxious before. He just stared at him with an overwhelmed look, encouraging him to go on. After many silent seconds that felt longer than eternity itself, Clank finally confessed what had been troubling him all along.
"General Azimuth… he… he killed you, Ratchet."

The uneasy look on Ratchet's face seemed to calm down a bit as he reassuringly smiled.
"Don't worry about it, Clank. I got over it. After all, you did manage to get me out of the way."
"No… that was the second time."

The silence that followed was unbearable but no more unbearable than the confessions that followed.

~ End of Flashback ~

TTTTTT ~~~ TTTTTT

When something is found to be real, it instantly gains great power over you. When you go on with the delusion of what makes you fear belongs merely in the realm of possibilities, you cannot really feel threatened. But only when your darkest fears become your reality do you feel the sharp cold of realisation and everything crumbles. There's no ground to set your feet on. Only the abyss and the unforgiving fall.

The wind felt like a tempest at that moment and the more Ratchet thought of what he had just been told, the more his distress grew. He opened his bright emerald eyes and stared at the General in the picture who held a genuine smile on his face.

"Please, do not be mad at him and do not hate him. General Azimuth cared about you, no matter what his remorse led him to do."
"I'm not mad, just… confused." Ratchet claimed although he could also feel anger rising inside of him. He just didn't wish to allow it to take control. "I need some time alone."

And his search for isolation led him there, to the highest railways of Metropolis that needed to be fixed. No train would pass from there anytime soon. He found himself daydreaming about Veldin. The home that seemed to suffocate him years ago was now the only place where he felt he could breathe.

So they would have to go back for his cure lay there. Otherwise, those terrible ordeals would never reach their end. He didn't really know what to feel about it. After this eventful adventure, the Great Clock was a source of mixed emotions. In reality, he didn't want to return any time soon. Perhaps Alister was right, the universe does have a cruel sense of humour.

Ratchet closed the tiny watch with a grunt of annoyance, feeling he couldn't look at Alister's eyes anymore, and placed it into his pocket. He admired the scenery for a while, allowing the dim light of dawn to quell his bewilderment. It only had little effect on him but he felt grateful nonetheless. He retrieved his OmniWrench from the ground he was standing on. It was actually a metal platform with the airborne railways as its view. Breathing had become harder because of the ever growing distress that plagued his soul. He couldn't deny it, he felt betrayed. Thinking rationally was not something he could achieve at that moment and anxiety blurred his senses.

He held his trademark weapon firmly. He was ready.

And he jumped with momentum. He was tearing the wind and it felt like flying. Unlike in his dreams, the fear of falling endlessly deeper and deeper was not present. Instead, he felt the joy of being free, of flying away. It wasn't like the HALO jumps he usually performed during his missions. This felt entirely different. It was liberating, redeeming.

After some seconds, Ratchet activated his hover boots passed on by his father. A gift from Alister… He positioned himself mid-air in order to land on his feet on the narrow metal railways and as soon as it happened, he allowed the gained momentum to lead him to the end of the curved path in an extremely high speed that seemed to get rid of that heavy burden in his heart. Afterwards, he flew again and for one second it felt like he was about to reach the stars but gravity gained control and after a graceful somersault, Ratchet landed on the next railway.

He narrowed his eyes as a result of both beginning to concentrate more and displaying the sorrow he was trying to unleash. He needed this outburst or else he would explode. The railway he was currently hovering on didn't have any curves and this gave Ratchet the opportunity to gain even more speed. After a couple of seconds, he made out a turn in the distance, leading right. He could also distinguish a column standing steadily right next to the turn. With his grip on his OmniWrench becoming tighter, Ratchet got prepared and succeeded in performing the turn by using his weapon against the column so as to determine his course.

He went on only to find out that the railway had a zigzag shape for the next 18 feet. Instead of following the rail's course, Ratchet jumped as high as his speed allowed him to and landed right on the spot where the rail became straight again with an arrogant smile on his face. He always did things his way and he wasn't about to break that habit anytime soon. The railway presented a curve leading upwards and ended up becoming smoothly vertical, just like the previous one. He landed on the next rail just like he had done a while ago after performing another somersault.

He kept on unleashing his anger and anxiety by hovering at high speeds and performing the most dangerous leaps from one railway to another, while he cried out screams of wrath two or three times. After several minutes, he finally felt that most of his fiery anger had been quelled and so he made his way back to the platform and deactivated his hover boots. He turned around while panting a bit to face the scenery again and noticed that the clouds had begun to dissolve and the sunlight had become brighter. He let out a sigh and dropped the OmniWrench. His legs were slightly trembling because of his tremendous efforts to maintain his balance while on the railways. His ears dropped as he already felt exhausted, more mentally than physically, and the day hadn't even begun yet. Who knew how many planets would require saving today?

Ratchet decided to return back home as Clank would be worried. He also had to get ready for whatever was in store for them today. And sooner rather than later, they had to plan out their journey to the Great Clock. He needed those nightmares to end. At all costs.

With emerald eyes reflecting determination, Ratchet silently promised to himself that he wouldn't hate Alister for what he had done and that instead, he would be proud of him for sacrificing himself in order to save the universe from certain disaster. Then he walked away, heading home as the first rays of pure sunlight emerged into the busy city of Metropolis.

A/N: Tomorrow is Clank's birthday so let's consider this a birthday gift (although it's more Ratchet-orientated. Oh well)! Happy Birthday Clank, we all love you! And yeap, you were never a sidekick!

English is not my native language so if there are any grammar, vocabulary or expression errors just let me know and I shall fix them right away! Thank you for reading, it is much appreciated! Have a nice day and happy reading/writing!